The home poultry book

Preface

NO doubt the experts whose eyes chance to fall on this book will say that it is elementary. It is, and purposely so. It is designed first and last for the amateur who has no time or inclination to read technical and semi-technical books on poultry keeping. It aims to tell the man with a few hens what to do and how to do it. There are certain statements with which some poultry keepers will disagree. We may look for the millennium when the men who keep hens come to be of one mind as to the management of them. However, no pet theory has been put forward or new system advocated. What has been written is based largely on personal experience and what has been learned in visits to many poultry plants, large and small, in different parts of the country. It is sent out with the hope that some amateurs may find in it a suggestion or two which will help them to get more eggs with less expense and have more fun doing it.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGB

I How to Make a Beginning I

II Selecting a Breed to Keep 12

Chapter I HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING

WHEN a man — or for that matter, a woman — is smitten with the poultry fever, he usually knows little about breeds or methods or " systems." Only one fact presents itself — he wants to keep a few hens.

Too often the beginner makes so little distinction between hens in general and those of particular breeds, that he accumulates a flock of mongrels. Beginning in that way, he may, perhaps, get as many eggs in a year as though he had started with a flock of pure-bred fowls, but the chances are that he will soon tire of poultry keeping. It is impossible to work up much enthusiasm over a lot of birds which have uniformity neither in color nor size and which show in their feathers an intermixture of many breeds and varieties.

I

On the other hand, there is rare pleasure in watching the movements of a little flock in which every cock and hen has the size, shape and markings typical of a recognized breed. For that reason, and because his poultry keeping ought to be a recreation and a joy, the beginner is urged to make his start with representatives of a breed which he has found to approach his ideal of what a good hen ought to look like. He will be limited to some extent in his choice, as will be seen when the chapter on breeds is reached, but he may rest assured that almost any breed which he may decide upon will give him a plentiful supply of eggs if intelligently cared for. And in the long run, it is safe to say that the well-bred bird will prove more profitable than the scrub. Moreover, a flock of handsome, stylish hens is almost certain to receive better care than an assortment of mismatched fowls which make no appeal to the eye.

The time to begin keeping hen3 is just when the

opportunity offers. There are several ways in which a beginning may be made. In the Fall, it is customary to buy a few pullets which were hatched fairly early in the Spring, — March if the breed chosen is about the size of Wyandottes or Plymouth

HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING 3

Rocks, a little later if smaller. It is well to have them in their new quarters by the first of October, in which month they may be expected to begin laying. If moved after the first eggs come, they are likely to cease laying for several weeks.

Pullets should be chosen in preference to older hens, because experience has shown that they lay better. No male bird will be needed; in fact, it is well not to have one in Winter. Eggs which have not been fertilized are preferred by discriminating buyers.

In February, a first-class, well-matured rooster of the same breed as the hens may be put with the flock. If the amateur lives in a closely settled neighborhood, he may find it advisable not to have a cock bird at any time, but to buy the eggs from which to hatch his chicks from a reliable breeder who has good stock.

After the first of the year, it may be well to buy a few two-year-old hens and a yearling rooster in order to secure eggs for hatching. Hens two years old are considered rather better to breed from than pullets, when mated with a younger male bird, and will cost no more — perhaps less. The beginner who starts at this time and in this way, though, should make it a point to buy his breeders from a man who has a flock of hens known to be good layers. It is the strain and not the breed that counts. Two men with adjoining plants may keep fowls of the same breed and yet one may get twice as many eggs as the other. He is the man who has selected his best laying hens year after year to breed from and so has perfected a prolific strain. The beginner who can get breeding stock from such a man will be fortunate. If he must, however, he can buy his birds at a poultry store in the city, but it will be the part of wisdom for him to admit his lack of expert knowledge and take an experienced poultryloving friend along with him when he makes his choice. If he is able to buy his stock of a poultry keeper near home, he may not need to pay more than a dollar a head. Perhaps he will have to pay two dollars. If he seeks really fancy stock he will go to a professional breeder and pay according to his inclinations and the length of his purse.

When a start is made after the first of March and up to the middle of May, eggs for hatching may be purchased. More amateurs begin in this way than in any other. The eggs will cost from one dollar a setting up. In the country, it is often pos-

HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING 5 sible to get eggs from a farmer who has good utility stock for seventy-five cents for a setting of thirteen eggs. A motherly old hen to sit on the eggs can be bought anywhere in the country for a dollar. It is wise, though, to make sure of the hen before ordering the eggs. Eggs may be sent by express many hundred miles and hatch well, although it is safer to buy them nearer home.

One should plan on setting one hundred eggs if he wants a flock of twenty-five laying hens the following Winter. To hatch and raise fifty per cent, will be a satisfactory record, and half of the chickens raised may be expected to be cockerels. Of course the latter may be served on the table or sold, thus reducing the cost of rearing the little flock. The twenty-five pullets left will be about the right number for the average amateur and may be confined in a ten-by-twelve house.

There is another way of beginning in the Spring and one which is growing in favor. Day-old chicks of most of the common breeds may now be purchased at from fifteen to twenty-five cents each, and may safely be shipped for long distances, as newly hatched chicks require no food for forty-eight hours, due to the fact that just before they break their shells, they absorb the yolks of the eggs, which provides them with an abundant supply of nourishment. Secured in this way, the chicks may be put under a broody hen at night or they may be raised in a brooder. This plan does away with all the work incidental to the care of sitting hens. Some amateurs find it desirable to hatch no chickens at all, but to renew their flock every year in this convenient manner. If it is too late to set eggs when the momentous decision to keep a few hens is finally made, this method of making a start is a very satisfactory short-cut.

The one draw-back to the purchase of day -old chicks is the fact that the buyer generally knows little about the stock from which the birds come. He may have bought into a good-laying strain and again he may not. Likewise, if he finds pleasure only in birds which are well-marked, he is participating in a lottery when he secures his chickens in this way. Custom-hatching has come as the solution of this problem. The amateur gets his eggs from whatever source he likes. They may come from his own flock or from that of a breeder known to have superior birds. The eggs are entrusted to the hatchery and the chicks turned over to the owner when

HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING 7

they have pecked their way to freedom at the end of twenty-one days, a nominal fee compensating the man who owns the incubator for his work.

The perfection of mammoth incubators which have a capacity of several thousand eggs has given a tremendous impetus to this business of hatching chicks on a large scale and has made it possible for the man with a small flock to dispense entirely with sitting hens. However he acquires his chickens, the beginner will do well to bear in mind the point already brought out, that he will inevitably lose some in the course of the brooding period, and half at least of the number raised may reasonably be set down as cockerels.

I have said that twenty-five hens is a good number for the amateur, but there is no reason why the flock should not be smaller. It is a reassuring fact that the small flocks lay the largest percentage of eggs. There are little portable houses costing about ten dollars in which eight hens can be carried through a Winter and that number of hens will keep a small family in eggs under proper conditions.

It is not necessary to have an outside yard for the poultry to run in, although such a yard is preferable because less work is required than when the hens are confined all the time. It is perfectly feasible, however, to keep a small flock housed all the year round if the houses are of the open-front or fresh-air type and not placed in too hot a situation. As a rule, though, it is not advisable to breed from hens kept in such close confinement, so amateurs who use this plan, sell all their laying hens in the Summer and buy well-grown pullets in the Fall, unless they care to purchase eggs or day-old chicks in the Spring. The custom of stocking up in the Fall with pullets just ready to lay and selling off the hens in the course of the Summer as they cease to lay makes poultry keeping a very simple matter and solves the problem for the would-be amateur who hesitates to begin because he has no time to give sitting hens or an incubator and no place in which to rear young chickens.

It must be said, though, that growing the chicks is one of the most fascinating and interesting phases of poultry keeping to the amateur who is a genuine, seasoned enthusiast. There are professional men who find their chief relaxation in the Spring of the year, when business cares weigh heavily and vacation days are yet far away, in the care and oversight of a little flock of chickens — sometimes Ban-

White Leghorns are the most popular of the strictly egg breeds. They lay white eggs

Black Langshans are large, docile and handsome, but have pinkish-white flesh and feathered legs

HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING 9

tarns, which have many admirers among busy lawyers, doctors and ministers.

The amateur who is wise will not waste a lot of money on elaborate houses for his birds. It is a curious and amusing fact that almost every poultry keeper has a pet theory about the best kind of hen houses. The theory held to-day, however, may be quite different from the one held yesterday, so that it is well to allow for alterations and remodeling. Furthermore, simple houses are by all means the most practicable. It is well enough to spend as much money as one can afford in giving the poultry house an architectural finish to make it harmonize with the other buildings on the estate, but there should be no frills within doors and every fixture should be detachable, so that it may be removed and cleaned.

If the beginner must count the cost, he ought not to spend on his poultry house more than a dollar for every hen which is to be confined there. This is a good basis for the prospective poultry keeper to lay his plans on when he is figuring the expense of the venture.

Of course, poultry houses in suburban sections which must occupy somewhat conspicuous situations will need more attention to external appearances than those in less prominent locations. There are always one's neighbors to consider and it is altogether selfish to put up a building which will prove an eye-sore to anyone. Then, too, there is a false economy. The poultry house should be well and strongly built for the sake of the birds that are to occupy it. The owner will find more satisfaction in caring for his fowls if they are kept in neat, attractive quarters.

It is a mistake for anybody who has not had experience in keeping a large flock of poultry to begin on a large scale. Failure is almost sure to follow. Some amateurs expect to make a considerable profit from a small flock, and that, too, the first year. Of course, they don't do anything of the kind. Keeping hens is not a royal road to wealth. One dollar per year per hen is considered a fair profit. Some men and women make more, but even though the profit be twice that amount and the flock number a thousand, which means hard and constant work for one person, it will be seen that the amount of money to be made is not great.

Keeping a few hens for recreation and to supply the family table with fresh eggs and chicken is,

HOW TO MAKE A BEGINNING n however, to be highly commended to every man and woman who has the time and opportunity to give the birds the very little care they demand. The scraps from the family table will go far toward supplying the rations of a small flock and the satisfaction of eating eggs laid the day previous may well be imagined by those unfortunate people who are never certain whether their breakfast egg was laid a month or a year before it appeared on the table.

Chapter II

SPEAKING broadly, the amateur will be wise to select the breed and variety which makes the strongest appeal to him. He will have a wide choice, both as to size and markings. Yet there are several points aside from appearance which demand consideration. For example, some breeds lay pure white eggs, which in certain quarters is felt to be a distinct disadvantage. Leghorns are bred in comparatively small numbers in New England because the people living there have a strong prediliction for brown eggs, such as are produced by Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds. New York epicures, on the other hand, are willing to pay a premium for pure white eggs, and so Leghorns, the most famous breed laying eggs of that color, are bred by most of the poultrymen catering to that market. Following the fashion, the majority of New England amateurs keep hens of breeds which lay brown eggs, while in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania the white egg hens are more popular.

Of course, this matter of color preference is merely a notion, fostered by custom. There is absolutely no difference in the quality of a brown-shell egg and that of one with a white shell. On the Pacific coast an effort is being made to lead people away from their unreasoning prejudice for white eggs, so that the amateur will be encouraged to keep the general purpose breeds, which lay brown eggs. In most sections, though, the professional poultrymen who have a white-egg market are well satisfied, for the White Leghorn is the nearest approach to an egg-producing machine which has yet been developed.

There are other points to be considered, too. Hens like the Leghorns and Anconas, which are marvelous layers, are very small and so of little value as table fowl. Moreover, they are non-sitters, which means that it is impossible to hatch eggs under them or to raise chickens with them, making it necessary for the amateur to keep a few hens of another breed or to rely upon incubators, if he raises his own birds. Also, these light hens are high flyers, so that more fencing is needed than for the heavier breeds, and they are not so contented when closely confined, while they always remain rather wild and cannot be petted like the representatives of the larger breeds.

Some of these qualities, however, commend them to certain amateurs. The fact that they never sit is much in their favor if an incubator is to be used or if no chickens are to be hatched or raised, or if day-old chicks are to be purchased and reared in a brooder. Broody hens are a nuisance under such circumstances. The fact that these light breeds eat much less than the larger ones is distinctly in their favor and the difference in the amount of food consumed by a Leghorn and a Rhode Island Red, for instance, is surprisingly large, especially when it is considered that the smaller hen will lay the most eggs, as a rule, and that the eggs are often as large. The author has been keeping a pen of Anconas side by side with a pen of Reds, and the eggs of the former have averaged notably larger.

It should be said, though, that the matter of strain enters into this proposition as well as into the number of eggs produced. Some strains lay much larger eggs than those of other strains of the same breed, for some breeders make a point of breeding for large eggs. One other point in favor of the light breeds is found in the fact that more of them may be kept in a house, four square feet to each bird being sufficient, while at least five square feet are required if the larger breeds are to be comfortable.

The matter of color is also to be considered. If kept in a town where the air is filled with smoke or where the soil is highly colored and heavy, white fowls are not easily kept in a presentable condition and black ones or those with dark-colored feathers are to be preferred. White fowls in a clean city look especially handsome when allowed to run on the lawn and may be preferred for their ornamental value. But if the chickens are given a wide range, those which are white will become shining marks for hawks.

The poultry of to-day is divided into several distinct classes, known as Asiatic, American, Mediterranean, English, French, in addition to which there are Games, Bantams, and a few miscellaneous breeds. Fowls of the American and Mediterranean breeds are those most commonly raised in this country. The American class comprises the great utility breeds like the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, and

Rhode Island Reds, which are prolific layers of large brown eggs and which are heavy enough to dress well for the table. These are the breeds usually found on the farms where pure-bred fowls of any kind are found. They are hardy, easy to care for and tame ; they are good sitters and make good mothers.

Most breeds are divided into several varieties and some into many like the Wyandottes, of which there are white, buff, silver, golden, silver-penciled, partridge and Columbian. There are barred, white, buff and Columbian Plymouth Rocks, but the Rhode Island Reds are confined to one variety, except that some have single and some rose combs. They originated in the state from which the breed takes its name and among professional poultrymen who were seeking a superior all-round fowl. The Red has grown amazingly in popularity and is now closely crowding the Barred Plymouth Rock, which for years was the one breed seen everywhere. A Rhode Island White has now appeared.

The one objection to the Reds from the point of view of the amateur who has a liking for handsome hens is the difficulty which is experienced in getting uniformity in coloring. There are many variations from the reddish buff desired, but by close culling, as well as careful breeding, it is possible to get a flock in which the color of all the birds is practically the same, and such a flock must delight the eye of any amateur.

All the breeds in the American class have yellow flesh and yellow legs, which is to be expected of birds bred in this country, where much weight is given to these points by the buyers and sellers of dressed poultry.

The fact that the flesh is white is a serious draw-back to the popularity of the Black Langshan, which is the only representative of the Asiatic class commended to the consideration of the amateur. The Langshan is smaller and more active than the other Asiatics, but has feathered legs like the others. The cock is a regal-looking bird and there are few handsomer or more stylish fowls than a Black Langshan hen. A very low fence will confine the Asiatics, which are very quiet, slow-moving birds. Years ago the Light Brahmas were immensely popular and many old-time admirers of this breed have now taken up the Columbian Wyandotte, an American breed which has practically the same markings, but which is smaller and with clean legs.

Of the Mediterranean class, the Leghorns easily take the lead in popularity. Probably there are more heavy egg-laying strains of White Leghorns than of any other breed. There are rose-comb as well as single-comb white and brown Leghorns, the rose-comb varieties often being recommended for very cold climates, as the rose combs are not frosted as easily as the longer single combs. The single-comb white Leghorn is generally admitted to be without a peer as an egg producer and the eggs are valued so highly that the best trade in New York often specifies them.

Like all members of this class, the Leghorns are non-sitters. They have yellow flesh and legs but are too small to be considered as table fowls, and so are not so popular in the country and in the yards of many amateurs as all-round fowls like the Rocks and Reds. The meat, however, what there is of it, is especially fine-grained and sweet and the chickens make fair broilers. Mature Leghorns are hard to fatten, though, and must be set down as belonging to a strictly egg-laying variety.

The two varieties of Minorcas, white and black, are somewhat larger than Leghorns. They, too, are prolific layers of large, white eggs, but they have

Houdans are of French origin and have large crests. They are hardy, attractive and easy to keep

White Indian Runner Ducks are handsome and prolific and seem likely to become as popular as the older varieties white skins and dark shanks, which puts them at a disadvantage on this account. The Black Minorcas are the more common.

Anconas have achieved unexpected popularity within the past few years, especially in the West. They have most of the characteristics of the Leghorn, being small, active and exceedingly prolific, while their eggs are large, white and well shaped. Anconas are black, except that every fifth feather has a white tip, giving the birds a very pleasing mottled appearance, which doubtless has helped to win the favor of breeders with an eye for striking and attractive markings.

The Black Spanish and'the Andalusians are satisfactory breeds for egg production but are bred mostly by fanciers, being, for one reason or another, not in great favor with the majority of practical poultry keepers. Their markings are odd and interesting. The Andalusians are especially curious, as their feathers have a bluish tinge. Interest in blue fowls has increased and there are blues in other classes.

Of the English class, the Orpingtons in white, buff and black varieties are enjoying considerable prestige in this country, surprisingly large entries being made at some of the Eastern shows. They are splendid all-purpose fowls and so aristocratic in manner that they make a strong appeal to many beginners. They are a trifle larger than the American breeds and doubtless would speedily come into great favor if it were not for the fact that their flesh is white. They lay brown-shelled eggs and produce them in generous numbers. The meat is excellent and a bird which is well cared for carries a lot of it, especially on the breast, so that for home use, the black Orpington is highly satisfactory, particularly when it is desirable to have a breed with plumage which will not show stain or dirt.

The Houdan is the French fowl best known in this country and is an excellent breed for the amateur, as the birds are tame, unusually attractive, contented in confinement and good layers. The eggs are white and the meat is too dark for market poultry, but exceptionally fine in texture and flavor. There is not so much meat on the carcass as is furnished by birds of the American and other larger breeds, but more than the Leghorns offer. The flesh of Houdans is highly prized in France, where dark-meated fowls have the preference. The Houdans have crests or top-knots and are mottled black and white in color. They are hardy and non-sittcrs. It is a characteristic of Houdan eggs that they are unusually fertile, while the chicks feather out rapidly and come to maturity very early. Houdans have one peculiarity in the form of a fifth toe, like a very old English breed, the Dorking. The Hamburgs and the Polish in several varieties comprise two classes very popular with fanciers.

The Games and Bantams in various breeds are freely bred by fanciers and afford much pleasure to their owners. Many of the Bantams are pocket editions of larger breeds, as, for example, the white, black and buff Cochins and the Light and Dark Brahmas. Probably Buff Cochin Bantams are bred more widely than any of the others, but all of those named, as well as several other kinds, will afford their owners no little pleasure. Most of these Bantams lay a considerable number of eggs, especially in the Spring, and the eggs, although small, are rich. Three are equivalent, as a rule, to two eggs from ordinary hens. The breeds mentioned are large enough to dress for the table. Bantams can hardly be surpassed as pets for children, when the latter are old enough to care for them. A packing box is large enough to house a small flock and the amount of food consumed is very small.

Below is a list of the more common breeds of poultry, with notes on some of their marked characteristics :

ASIATIC CLASS

Weight 2 Name lbs. £ Color of Color of

Cocks Hens c/2 eggs flesh

Varieties

Light Brahmas...i2 Dark " ...n Cochin ,...ii

Plymouth Rocks.. 9^

954 Yes Brown Yellow Zy2 Yes Brown Yellow 9J4 Yes Brown Yellow Buff, partridge, white, black.

-jYz Yes Brown White Black, white. AMERICAN CLASS

Wyandottes 8^3 6^

Rhode Island Reds 8J<2 6rA Yes Brown Yellow

Yes Brown Yellow Barred, white, buff, silver, partridge, Columbian.

Yes Brown Yellow White, buff, silver, Columbian, golden, partridge, black, silver penciled.

Single and rose comb.

Leghorns

MEDITERRANEAN CLASS No White Yellow

Minorca* o* Ns White White

Ancona* *

Orpingtons 10

Houdans

* No White Yellow

ENGLISH CLASS 8 Yes Brown White

FRENCH CLASS

No White White

Single and rose-comb white, single and rose-comb brown, single and rose comb buff, black, silver.

Single and roie comb black, single comb white.

White, black, buff.

* Have no standard weights. + Weight of single comb black.

The other varieties are a pound lighter

It seems almost impossible that the almost innumerable breeds and varieties of poultry the world over should all have sprung from one common parentage, and yet it was Darwin's theory that the jungle fowl of India was the progenitor of all known kinds. As the fowls were scattered over the earth, they were developed in many different ways. The poultry of China and Japan is quite different in appearance and characteristics from that of this country. ^ In France breeds with white flesh and dark legs have been perpetuated, because the Frenchman likes that kind. In this country breeds with yellow flesh and yellow shanks have been made by crossing older breeds and carefully fixing the type in order to satisfy the Yankee prejudice.

The whole subject is full of interest, and it becomes plain that the amateur has wide latitude in making his selection. Almost every breed has something to recommend it, and no breed is entirely free of faults, so that it is not wise to skip from one to another if the first breed chosen does not prove as satisfactory as expected. The better plan is to give that breed a little more study in order to learn if the fault is not with the keeper instead of with the hens. And finally, it is not the part of wisdom to keep more than one breed at a time, when one first begins his poultry work.